Unstoppable EXPLOSIONS!!!

By the poster (and prior knowledge to typecasting) this is what i think Unstoppable is about:
I know nothing about the actual plot of this movie but i am going to take a stab at it: A brilliant witty black guy that sits behind a desk becomes the unlikely hero (played by Denzel Washington), while brooding and reckless rookie cop, Chris Pine, narrowly escapes death while they both try and stop a run away train full of nuclear waste?

Come on poster designers. Really?! I thought we were over the floating head phase of movie posters. My guess is the thought process for Midnight Oil Creative went something like this: "Hell, this sounds like a cheesy 90's movie, lets make the poster that way. First: EXPLOSIONS!!! and then we will do a have the train for perspective coming at you, and OH, the title should do the same thing. Make sure we get the actors heads in there. Because people won't bother with this movie other wise. Lastly, lets awkwardly cram in some scenes from the movie. I think we have a winner. Let's print it!"
You suck.

-Josh

It's a Monster

This is an example of fantastic logo treatment. One of my biggest pet peeves is a logo that was half-assed. Based on the trailer, you can tell that the movie is supposed to be gritty and real (and maybe a little too similar to District 9). I think the logo gives you that same feeling. It looks like it's been scratched into the poster. The rest of the poster isn't bad either. You are going to see a lot more of this "Hipstamatic" photography in design now. I'd put money on it.

-Josh

Image source: IMP Awards
Design by: Gravillis Inc.

Doing a Little Digging.

Lets talk about Buried.
So far, four posters (five if you count a redesign) have been designed by Ignition Creative and are all equally fantastic. Which isn't fair, because the movie is a limited release. Meaning, maybe twelve people will see these posters in real life. The poster pictured above is the one you are more likely to see, and probably had quite a bit of "marketing advice" to foster the final design. But that doesn't make it any less creative. That seems to be part of the benefit when designing a poster for an indie flick – creative freedom. The posters make you feel claustrophobic, cramped, deep... dare i say "buried".

This first poster designed is already a risky design because you can't even see Ryan Reynolds face. Even his name is small. The flame acting as the "I" in Buried is a common trick, but really works on this poster. Again, don't you feel a little trapped looking at the poster?


This [right] is probably my favorite. Very Alfred Hitchcock. Very Saul Bass. I also love the fact that when you look at the poster you can see a definite depth. It's eerie. I'm assuming this design ultimately lead to the latest poster [top]. Kudos.


[left] As if the first poster wasn't enough, they were like "Lets really give the viewer the sense to total isolation. And put the casket way at the bottom so you feel as if you are deep."


SO, the real test is, were you able to tell what the movie was about? Without cheating an watching the trailer? or reading a synopsis. If you said: "Paul (Ryan Reynolds) is a U.S. contractor working in Iraq. After an attack by a group of Iraqis he wakes to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter and a cell phone it's a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap." You're right! (but hopefully you weren't that detailed... cuz that's creepy)

Opens October 8th.

The Last Erection

This is an interesting way to start off this blog. And surprisingly it is an excellent example of viral marketing.

(Warning: this is slightly NSFW):


For the upcoming Eli Roth-produced horror flick The Last Exorcism, Lionsgate and an unknown advertising company, have set up a viral video on ChatRoulette. Unfamiliar with ChatRoulette? Well, basically, you go on a website where everyone has a webcam and they randomly pair you up with a penis... I mean person. As i was saying, the vast majority of the users are men, passive, sad little men (not far off from myself), looking for live action boobs. I wonder what a horror movie's target audience is? Oh yeah, exactly that. In a brilliant attempt to stir up some unwanted nightmares, at least 2 short videos were staged of a sexy brunette whom becomes the devils puppet just after "the good stuff" starts. This is followed by a simple web address. Granted, no one can see this address, because they all have their eyes closed, sitting in a pile of their own feces.

What really makes this effective, is the fact that if you aren't the scaree, it's hilarious. So the next step is put that bad boy up on YouTube... Now everyone is laughing at these horny losers, which makes you want to share this video with others. And in less than a week, 1 million hits. Everyone wins!

Will it help The Last Exorcism? Maybe a little.

The Last Exorcism comes out August 27th.

originally seen on gawker.com

Coming soon... a Mission Statement

The intention of this blog is to take an in depth (and slightly humorous) look into movie marketing — mostly poster design, being that it is easiest to come by.

I grew up in a relatively sheltered home, where most of the movie exposure I had was to wholesome "Focus on the Family" flicks and non-violent cartoons (with a few exceptions). This, of course, caused me to rebel and develop a passion for all things "evil".

So what makes me an expert on movie posters? Nothing. In fact i am far from an expert an anything. I am a greetings card designer at Hallmark Cards by day. So, I don't work in the movie industry, but I do work in design. So I'm at least semi-qualified to make snide observations about what works and what doesn't... I do however go to a lot of advance screenings for what it's worth. But, I'm not here to tell you what movies suck (even though I will still force my opinions on you), I'm here to tell you that their posters probably suck too. And why.

I look forward to posting. I hope you look forward to reading.

Coming soon...

-Josh